Ripples
by Kalvin4444
Summary: It has been one month since the squids conquered Minecraftia. Anyone who actively opposes them is dead or in hiding, and Sky is nowhere to be found. They rule with an iron fist, and the people are too scared to fight back. When Mitch and Seto are reunited after months of not speaking, this begins to change. AU containing Team Crafted and others.
1. I

**Hi, everyone! I'm Kalvin4444, and this is my first _Minecraft _story, _Ripples_. Before I begin, there's some things you need to know that I couldn't fit in the description. THESE ARE VERY IMPORTANT. PLEASE READ TO THE END.**

**This story takes place within _Minecraft_. The characters will interact within the game. As a result, not everything will be exactly how it was in the real world.**

**This story is an AU. It takes place in July of 2014. It is based off of what I know about _Minecraft_, what I know about Team Crafted and its members, and my own personal headcanon. I don't know everything about the characters' relationships and interactions, so I am filling in the gaps. As stated before, I have made some changes. While I will try to stay as close to the source material as possible, my focus is making a good story, not getting every single little detail right.**

**Finally, I need to make one thing clear. My two main protagonists are Seto (setosorcerer) and Mitch (TheBajanCanadian). As most, if not all of you know, there has been a fair amount of drama centered around these two parties. I am writing their interactions to match. That is not to say that they hate each other forever. As stated before, this is partially based on my headcanon. I am filling in the gaps and writing their interactions as I imagine them to be.**

**All the general housekeeping information can be found in my profile. Constructive criticism and positive feedback are greatly appreciated.**

* * *

"And add a magma cream...and done!" Seto muttered to himself as he pushed the cream into the potion bottle and put it in the brewing stand. It was his last one, he noted—he would have to go to the Nether sometime for more blaze powder.

The machine emitted the whirs and hisses that were so familiar to him after years of potion making. He didn't bother watching the potion turn from blue to orange. He had seen the process a thousand times. He instead turned to the small window to watch the sunset. Its beauty was magnified considerably when reflected on water. And now that there was water everywhere, he could enjoy the sight every evening.

The stunning sunset was probably the only good thing that came out of the squids' conquest of Minecraftia. Seto winced as he recalled the night that the Sky Army fell.

He had been working as medic, just like in all the other battles. On that last night, the squids had had a strange magical weapon that even he had not fully understood: the Corruption, a sword enchant that turned humans into squids. After losing so many to death or the Corruption, they were overwhelmed by sheer numbers. He remembered Adam telling everyone to run, run and don't look back.

And he had fled.

Like a coward, he ran from the battle. And here he was, a month later, in a waterlogged world with a generous bounty on his head.

The sun sank below the horizon and the sky darkened into purple twilight. Seto crossed to the brewing stand and took off the newly-made fire resistance potion. He placed it on a shelf with eleven identical potions and made a mental note to find obsidian for a Nether portal.

He extended his hand, palm open, concentrating hard. The flames from the torches in the wooden one-room house snaked into his palm and turned a deep rich purple. This simple use of his magic took a lot more out of him than usual. Seto closed his hand. The fire fizzled out, leaving the house in darkness. He found his way to his bed and was asleep moments after his head hit the pillow.

* * *

Seto was jolted awake abruptly by the groans of zombies from outside. Zombies and someone else.

A small purple fire sparked to life in his palm. It danced out of his hand and lit the torches. Seto extinguished the flame in his hand and rushed to the window.

Zombies swarmed a tall, lean figure. It swung a blade at its attackers, expertise obvious. The sword was crafted from pure diamond and glowed with magic.

Wait.

That sword.

Seto recognized that sword.

He had seen it nearly every day for several months in the Sky Army. He had enchanted it himself. The sword belonged to...but how? How was _he_ here?

He watched as the figure turned in his direction. Amber eyes met his own deep brown ones, confirming his suspicions.

It bolted around to the front of his house, pursued by a legion of zombies. Seto quickly deduced what it wanted. He squeezed his eyes shut, concentrating hard, and willed magic into existence. He felt the tingling sensation that indicated the presence of magical energy. His hands glowed purple. He tensed, ready to let it fly.

A loud knocking rang in his ears. The door.

He cautiously opened it. The torchlight illuminated the man's face.

A once-handsome figure, marred by cuts and bruises. His brown hair was matted; his clothes—a red-and-black checkered jacket with a white undershirt and blue jeans—were torn and stained with mud. His emaciated state made them look too big and baggy.

He met Seto's gaze with those amber eyes, which almost bulged out of his face.

"Help," he gasped, before collapsing in Seto's doorway.

Seto was reeling, his mind racing to process the events he had just witnessed. How could he be here? Why _would _he be here? He wasn't even sure that they were on speaking terms!

"_Mitch?_"

* * *

**Once again, positive feedback and constructive criticism are greatly appreciated (however, flames are not). Please leave a review; it shows that you care!**


	2. II

**I can't believe how much support the first chapter has gotten! Thank you to the seven people who left reviews, the three people who favorited this, and the five people who followed it! Once again, reviews are greatly appreciated, but flames are not.**

**One more thing: I will be on vacation during a period that coincides with my updating schedule. I won't have access to my computer while on vacation. As a result, the next chapter will be a few days late. I'm really sorry about that.**

**I don't own Seto, Mitch, or Minecraft.**

* * *

Seto wasted no time in getting Mitch inside—a task easier said than done. Even in his emaciated state, Mitch was still heavier than the petite sorcerer, and Seto hadn't fared so well himself while he was on the run. But still, after a minute or two of half-carrying, half-dragging his former friend, Seto propped him up against the wall.

He searched through his two chests until he came across a splash potion of regeneration. He threw it on the ground at Mitch's feet,allowing its effects to take hold, and examined him for signs of the Corruption. When he found none, he lay down on his bed. All that was left to do was wait.

As it happened, he didn't have to wait very long before he detected movement from Mitch's corner. He glanced over, and sure enough, his guest was getting to his feet.

"I see you're awake," Seto said icily.

Mitch jumped and drew his sword. His eyes had a feral quality to them that Seto didn't recall. From being on the run, perhaps?

"Seto?" His confusion was evident.

"No, it's Notch," Seto said, punctuating his sentence with an eye roll. "Of course I'm Seto. And I'd like a thank you for saving your life."

"_You_ saved _me_?"

"Of course I did. I am not a killer, Mitch."

"But I thought you were mad at me. Because of what happened in August," Mitch said.

Really? This again?

"I'm not mad about the Team Crafted thing. I'm over that now," Seto said. "What's done is done. What I'm _mad _about is that you didn't bother to make sure I was okay! You said you were going to stay in touch, which obviously wasn't true. I could have been dead, for all you knew, and you didn't give a rat's ass!"

"Seto, I would have stayed in contact with you, but I didn't know how!" Mitch shouted.

"Why not? I have a Twitter and a YouTube channel. You could have contacted me through those."

"You don't just say, 'oh hey sorry I kicked you out of our friend group let's be pals again.' These things take time! And besides, _you _didn't contact _me_," Mitch countered.

"Touché," Seto grumbled. "Now, what are we going to do? We can't stay here forever. The squids will track us down eventually. We have to go somewhere."

"Well, where can we go where we can't be found?" Mitch asked.

"Well, it can't be anyplace with water," Seto said, "so that rules out most of the Overworld. And squid-human hybrids can travel on land, so—"

"I know, I know," Mitch snapped. "I'm not stupid."

"Well, _sorry_," Seto snapped right back. "What I was _trying _to say before I was so rudely interrupted was that anyplace in the Overworld is out of the question. Unless there's a place with no water whatsoever..."

He trailed off as an idea formulated in his mind.

"That's it!" he exclaimed.

"What's it?" Mitch asked.

"I think we should go to the Nether."

"The Nether? The _Nether_? Are you _insane_?" Mitch shrieked. "Even if there are no squids, we'll die anyway! It's literally _hell_!"

"No, I'm not," Seto replied calmly. "And I'll explain why.

"My magic is fire-based. The world is flooded, so that severely weakens my abilities. That's how you found me. I would normally have a shield around this place, but I can't do that because of all the water. In the Nether, there is no water, so I can get my strength back.

"Also, since there's no water in the Nether, there are no squids. Even squid hybrids need to be in the water sometimes. Maybe even some of our friends from before will have made it there. We could have allies in the Nether, Mitch! And it's safe there! Unless they have other humans on their side..."

Mitch shook his head. "Seto, honestly, you surprise me! Do you really think the squids will have humans on their side?"

"It's a possibility!"

"No, it's not, and I'll explain why," Mitch said, mimicking Seto's tone. "The squids killed tens of thousands of people during the war with the Sky Army, and that's being conservative. Behind each of those people was a family and friends. In the case of all the—the dead YouTubers—" Mitch's voice cracked, and for a second, he sounded like he was about to cry—"that's thousands, if not millions, of fans. Virtually no one would be on their side."

"Excellent point," Seto admitted. "The Nether it is then. Do you have any obsidian?"

"Obviously not," Mitch said. "I've been barely scraping by. You?"

"A griefer stole all of mine, and I haven't found the time to find more," Seto replied. "But I have a diamond pick and some water, so we could get more. We should probably leave soon."

"Tomorrow morning," Mitch suggested, or rather, demanded. "Is that good?"

"Yes," Seto said. "Let's start packing."

* * *

**Please leave a review; it shows that you care!**


	3. III

**Welcome to chapter 3 of _Ripples_. Thank you to anyone who reviewed, favorited, or followed this. Once again, reviews and constructive criticism are greatly appreciated. It lets me know that someone actually took the time to read and comment on my work. If you could leave a review (or a comment if you're coming from the TC website), that would be great. **

**Once again, I don't own Seto, Mitch, or Minecraft.**

* * *

Seto was awake at dawn. He crawled out of bed and nudged Mitch, who had opted to sleep on the floor, with his foot.

"Mitch, wake up," he said. "We're leaving!"

Mitch sat bolt upright, looking around wildly. He relaxed slightly when he saw Seto standing over him.

"Oh, it's you," he said with a hint of distaste. Seto chose to ignore it and passed Mitch a satchel.

"In here I have some food, a stack of torches, three healing potions, and three fire resistance potions for the Nether. Please use them wisely—I don't have any more."

Mitch nodded.

"We should probably go," he said, drawing his sword.

"Yes, let's." Seto grabbed another, larger satchel, his sword, and the diamond pickaxe.

As soon as they were out of the house, Seto whipped out a flint and steel and set the house ablaze.

"What'd you do that for?" a flabbergasted Mitch exclaimed.

"I'm covering up my tracks," Seto said calmly. "It's harder to track me down that way. I saved all of the expensive stuff, though."

Mitch nodded. "Let's get going."

Seto started digging a staircase into the ground, and Mitch followed behind silently. It was only when they found a ravine that they actually spoke to each other.

"Careful!" Seto shouted. "There's a ravine."

"You think I don't know that?" Mitch snapped.

"You were about to run over the edge," Seto said, "but that's beside the point. How are we going to get down? I don't have any ender pearls."

Mitch sighed. "Watch and learn. Give me the pick."

Seto handed him the diamond instrument. He dug one block over and started digging straight down.

"What are you doing?" he called after him. "Didn't anyone ever tell you never to dig straight down?"

"When I was, according to you, about to run over the edge, I was actually checking to see if I could dig straight down. It's a sheer surface with no caves or anything I could fall in. We're fine."

"How am _I _going to get down?"

"Jump down here!" Mitch yelled. "You can survive the fall."

Seto looked. Mitch wasn't that far below him. He could make it.

"Okay, I'm jumping!"

"Hold on, don't jump yet," Mitch called. "Let me move out of the way first!"

A pause.

"Okay, jump!"

Seto closed his eyes. He breathed in. And out.

And he jumped.

The fall itself was a brief rush. It didn't even last a second. The landing snapped his legs with a sickening _crack._ Pain blossomed in his shins, and he crumpled to the stone beneath him.

"Are you okay?" Mitch asked.

"I just jumped off a ledge and broke both my legs," Seto gasped through the agony. "Of course I'm not okay. I'm going to take a potion. Just give me a minute. And wait for me. I'm not jumping again."

Seto searched through his bag, eventually coming across a magenta healing potion. He drank it and let the effects take hold. The pain subsided as his bones knit them back together. After a minute, he stood again.

"Let's try something new," Mitch suggested. "We'll build a two-block shaft like we have now. I'll stand on one block and you'll stand on the other. I'll dig down one block and hand the pick off to you. You dig down two blocks and hand it off to me. Then I'll dig down two blocks, and so on and so forth until we reach the bottom. Sound good?"

Seto nodded.

"Good. Let's go."

They reached the bottom of the ravine unharmed. Mitch placed down a torch, revealing several mobs that were coming toward them.

They drew their swords: Mitch's battered diamond blade and Seto's newer, albeit less powerful, iron one. The mobs were easily dispatched.

"Let's go that way," Mitch said, gesturing to his left.

They proceeded in that direction, exchanging no words, only pausing to get a bucket of water. Later—Seto was unsure of how much later, though it certainly felt like a long time, they caught sight of light around a corner.

"There!" Mitch exclaimed. They quickened their pace and rounded the corner. Sure enough, a pool of lava lay ahead of them.

Seto dumped out the water, letting it run over the lava and form obsidian. He handed the pickaxe to Mitch.

"You wouldn't mind getting the obsidian, would you? I can't really be in water because of my magic. Usually, it wouldn't be a problem, but there's so much water everywhere else..."

Mitch rolled his eyes, but took it anyway.

"You and your magic...doesn't it cause more problems than it fixes sometimes?"

Seto felt something like rage well up in him. He cast a glare at Mitch, who took a cautious step back.

"Hey, I'm just saying...it seems that it's more of a hindrance than a help to you."

"It's just the water that's causing problems," Seto said. "Trust me, it'll be more useful in the Nether."

Mitch shrugged and continued mining the obsidian. Seto stood guard, keeping an eye out for squids or other mobs. A few minutes later, Mitch climbed out of the water.

"Here's the obsidian," he said, thrusting it at Seto. "Can you get the portal built so that we can get out of this cave?"

Seto nodded, quickly constructing the frame. He extended his hand. A small violet flame ignited in his palm. Using most of his energy, he willed it to leap into the arch.

A shimmering purple haze materialized in the frame. Seto leaned against it, waiting for the fatigue he felt to subside. He downed the pale orange fire resistance potion. Mitch did the same.

"Ready to go?" Seto asked.

Mitch nodded.

"Okay, let's go."

And they stepped through.

* * *

Seto stepped neatly onto the netherrack ground when he exited the portal. Mitch followed closely behind, stumbling.

"How can you stay on your feet?" he asked incredulously.

"Practice," Seto answered.

"Okay, we made it to the Nether," Mitch said with a hint of a challenge in his voice. "Now what?"

"We find a Nether fortress, I'll get the potion ingredients I needed, we build a place, and stay here for the time being," Seto said as he deconstructed the portal.

An odd look came over Mitch's face.

"Wait. So you're telling me that I'm stuck with you indefinitely?"

"It's only until the squids are no longer in power!" Seto protested. "Then we can go back to the Overworld and never speak to each other again."

"That doesn't change the fact that I'm stuck with you until the squids are no longer in power!"

"Do you have any better ideas?"

Mitch was silent.

"That's what I thought. Now, are we going to find a Nether fortress or not?"

Seto didn't wait for a response. He turned and started walking away.

"Well, what if I didn't follow you?" he heard Mitch shout.

"You can do that," Seto shouted back. "Suit yourself. But I know you've never been to the Nether, so if you want to get roasted alive, then you can leave."

A moment late, Mitch caught up. Seto chose to ignore him.

"How's your magic?"

"Give me some time," Seto said. "We're not in any danger at the moment."

And they weren't. The only signs of trouble were the far-off cries of ghasts.

They cautiously made their way through the treacherous terrain of the Nether. Seto decided to pretend that Mitch wasn't there, that he was traveling through the realm alone.

Only this time, there wasn't a home for him to go back to.

Seto returned violently to reality when Mitch screamed. He whirled around and saw him clutching his right arm.

"What happened?"

Mitch gestured upward with his good arm.

"_That _happened!"

Seto looked. A massive white figure sailed through the air. A ghast.

Those far-off cries weren't as far-off as he had thought.

"Oh, shit. Shit. Run!"

They ran, fireballs whizzing past.

"Running's no good!" Mitch exclaimed. "It knows we're here! What do we do?"

"Use your sword to deflect its fireballs back at it! If you hit it, you'll kill it."

"Why can't you use your magic to kill the damn thing?"

"Just give me a minute!" Seto snapped. "Cover me."

Mitch started shakily deflecting the fireballs. Seto stood behind him, palm out. He waited.

A warm, tingly sensation rushed down his arm. A single purple spark danced in his hand.

Then two.

Then four.

Finally, a deep purple flame blazed to life in his palm. No fatigue accompanied it. A grin spread across his face.

"Stand back," he muttered to Mitch. "I've got this."

Seto extended his right arm. The warm tingly feeling returned. In less than a second, he had a flaming orb of deep purple magic hovering just above his palm. Using all his strength, he flung the orb at the ghast.

The combination of the heat and magic vaporized the creature instantly. White dust cascaded harmlessly to the ground, accompanied by a lone ghast tear, which Seto pocketed. He started laughing.

"What the hell is so damn funny? I almost died?" Mitch sputtered.

"I'm sorry," Seto said. "It just feels so good to use magic again! Come here."

Mitch took a tentative step forward. Seto noted that he had a hand on the hilt of his sword.

"I'm not going to blast you," he added.

Mitch walked the rest of the way. Seto laid a hand on the burn.

Mitch jerked away. "What are you doing?"

"I would be healing your arm if you would calm down!"

"I could just take a potion, you know that?" he said, reaching into his bag.

"Yes, but potions are hard to replace, and healing magic isn't too difficult for me if I'm in the Nether," Seto explain. "Now come here."

Mitch sighed and walked over. Seto pressed his hand to the burn, channeling his magic. When he removed his hand, the burn was gone without a trace.

Mitch examined the area where the burn had been.

"Impressive. Now come on! We're getting sidetracked."

Mitch started climbing a hill. He reached the top and a moment later, turned around.

"I think you need to see this," he said to Seto.

He scrambled up the hill to where Mitch was.

A collection of small nether brick buildings lay at the base of the hill. A network of gravel paths connected them. On the outskirts were farms of mushrooms and nether warts. A few people ambled along the paths, occasionally stopping to greet a neighbor.

"It looks like a village..." Seto said. "But why would a village be in the Nether.

"I think that we should go visit it," Mitch said.

"Sure," Seto replied sarcastically. "Let's go visit this village in the middle of hell. Never mind that it could be a squid outpost or some other hostile group that wants to kill us. No, let's just walk in."

"Seto, you yourself said that we could have allies in the Nether. This could also be a village of former Sky Army recruits," Mitch retorted.

"Good point."

They made their way down the hill and entered the village. Seto had a hand on his sword, ready to draw it if the need arose.

They were soon stopped by a pair of men in crimson uniforms. Guards.

"Is there a problem, sir?" Mitch asked one.

"Unfortunately, there is," the guard responded. "The law states that any non-members of the colony of Netheria, such as you two, must be detained for questioning."

* * *

**Remember to please leave a review; it shows that you care!**


	4. IV

**Welcome back! Just so you know, there is some language in this chapter, mostly at the beginning, as well as some brief suggestive content.**

**So this is chapter 4. Very sorry about the late upload. Between vacation and writer's block, it took a LOT longer than expected. Thanks to everyone who reviewed, favorited, or followed. **

**I'm going back to school on Wednesday, so updates might be late. I'm sorry about that, but there's nothing I can do.**

**I do not own _Minecraft _or any of the YouTubers in this chapter.**

* * *

"This is all your fault," Mitch hissed from his corner of their cell.

"_My _fault?" Seto exclaimed incredulously from the opposite corner as he tugged at the iron bands around his wrists. They were engraved with runes that kept him from using his magic. "How is it my fault?"

"Whose idea was it to visit the Nether?"

"I know, but whose idea was it to visit the hell village?" Seto snapped. "We didn't _have _to go to the hell village. I warned you about the hell village. I said, 'Mitch, what if it's a hostile group that wants us dead?' But no, you said. Let's go to the hell village, you said."

"Well maybe, just maybe, if _someone _hadn't had the bright idea to live in the Nether, we wouldn't be in prison right now!" Mitch shouted.

"Well, what was the alternative? Get murdered by squids?"

"I don't know!" Mitch replied sarcastically. "_Not _get murdered by squids, perhaps?"

"Wow, why didn't _I _think of that?" Seto asked through gritted teeth. "Not getting murdered by squids—what a _novel _idea! It's not like that's the reason we're in the Nether or anything! No—we're only in the Nether to make your life miserable. But that's beside the point. I saved your life, and you should be fucking grateful—"

"Grateful? _Grateful_?" Mitch shouted. "For _what_? That I'm stuck with a pretentious asshole who treats me like an idiot? That I got dragged along on your insane mission into hell?"

"No, you should be grateful that I saved you despite the fact that you've treated me like crap!" Seto replied, raising his voice significantly. "And if I had known you were going to be a little bitch, maybe I wouldn't have."

"_You're_ calling _me_ a bitch?" Mitch said, and laughed humorlessly. "What did I ever do to you?"

"All you've done this whole time is berate and insult me!" Seto shrieked.

"You _always _do this!" Mitch snarled. He stalked over and pinned Seto against the Nether brick wall, leaning in until their faces were within three inches. "You always play the victim! Can you just take some _responsibility _for _once_?"

Seto squirmed under Mitch's grip. "Let go of me, you—"

"Um, is this a bad time?"

They whirled around to see one of the crimson-uniformed guards standing in the doorway of their cell. Mitch took two hasty steps backward.

"It's not what it looks like, I swear!" he said hastily, suddenly developing an interest in his shoes. "We were just having a discussion..."

Seto's face heated up at the thought of what they were doing might have looked like from the guard's perspective.

For a moment, it looked like the guard would turn around and leave, but then he regained his composure.

"You two have to come with me," he said. "The mayor would like to talk to you personally. Says you're similar to some people he used to know."

They exited the cell and the guard escorted them down a series of generic-looking Nether brick hallways. Finally, they reached a plain iron door.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Mitch said to Seto. "Knock."

Seto reached up and knocked tentatively.

"Just a moment!" a slightly muffled, but familiar voice said on the other side.

After a moment, the door opened with a click. They stepped in, poised to run if they had to. But any urge to run disappeared when they saw who was there to greet them.

"I _knew _it was you!" he said, a broad grin spreading across his face. "It's been forever!"

They just stared. Mitch was first to find his voice.

"Ian? Is that you?"

"Well of course it's me!" he said. "Don't tell me you forgot about me!"

"No! Not at all!" Mitch replied. "_Some people _weren't expecting to run into anyone down here, least of all someone we knew."

He cast Seto a look that clearly said, _I told you so_.

"Okay, okay, I get it," Seto said with a sigh. "I was wrong. But there's no need to rub it in! Anyway, what is all this, Ian?"

"This," he said with a flourish, "is Netheria. Original name, I know, but it was the best I could come up with on the fly. You probably already know that I'm the mayor.

"Following the attack on the Sky Army base, I escaped to the Nether through your portal, Seto. Some recruits along with several of our old friends followed me in."

"Who? Who made it?" Mitch perked up and leaned forward in his seat.

"Not a lot of people," Ian admitted. "Ant survived. So did MunchingBrotato and Ashley. All three of them are in Spawn City now."

"Why?" Seto asked. "What's in Spawn City?"

Ian sighed. "It's a long story," he said, "so let's start at the beginning.

"We—meaning myself and our other friends who escaped—believe that Adam is still alive. Ant, Ashley, and Tyler are trying to find him at the moment. Once that's done, we'll restore the Sky Army, retake Minecraftia, and then things will go back to normal."

"Sounds ambitious," Mitch commented. "Why are you telling us?"

"You asked," Ian replied with a shrug. "But now that you mentioned it, I think I want you guys to be part of the resistance."

"Us?" Seto asked. "Why us?"

"Yes, why us?' Mitch chimed in. "We don't work well together at all!"

"Actually, while you don't get along like the best of friends, you actually worked together pretty well fighting off the Ghast," Ian retorted. "There's definitely potential. And besides, it's not just about you anymore. It's about everyone we lost to the squids. It's about Adam. Ty. Jason. Ryan. Quentin. Jerome. Bash. Lancey. Preston. Vikk. Rob. Mat. Bonkers. Kyle. Brice—"

"Stop! Stop!" Seto shouted suddenly. "We get it! Right, Mitch?"

He looked in Mitch's direction. Mitch nodded, but Seto could only focus on the obvious pain in his eyes.

_Of course_, he realized. _Most of his friends are dead, too._

"So," Ian said shakily. "Have you made your decision?"

But the decision had already been made.

"Yes."

* * *

**Yeah...I killed a lot of people off-screen (off-page?). I'M SORRY! Spoiler alert: not everyone who is presumed dead is actually dead. Please leave a review; it shows that you care!**


	5. V

**Okay. I think I have some explaining to do. First off, I'm terribly sorry this chapter is a week late. Writer's block and school do not mix well. This is what I talked about when I said updates would be late.**

**Welcome to chapter 5 of Ripples. Thanks to everyone who reviewed, favorited, or followed.**

**Brief explanation for a few things in this chapter: I'm making the Sky Army base Adam's Minecraft server. For the sake of the story, it is located in the mountains and there is a staircase that leads out of the base in case someone needed to evacuate.**

**I do not own _Minecraft _or any of the YouTubers in this chapter.**

* * *

Seto stayed for what he estimated was a week in Ian's house in Netheria. He passed the time by enchanting the contents of the Netheria armory. He saw little of Mitch during his stay, and was grateful for that.

On the seventh day, he woke to a letter from Ian:

_Meet me outside my office. You and Mitch are going back to the Overworld today._

A pit of dread settled in his stomach at the thought of returning to the Overworld. Being without his magic before arriving in the Nether had given him a feeling of vulnerability that he hadn't noticed until it was lifted. He shuddered at the thought of experiencing that powerlessness again.

But still, he dressed and found his way to Ian's office. Ian and Mitch lingered outside the iron door.

"I'm sorry," Seto said hastily. "Did I keep you waiting?"

"Not at all," Ian reassured him. "Now, you're going to the Overworld through the Netheria portal, which is kept under lock and key in my office. Once there, you will travel to Spawn City, where you will meet up with Tyler, Ashley, and Ant. I sent them a message informing them of your arrival, and they are expecting you."

Ian flicked a lever, opening the iron door.

"Your swords are by the door to the portal room. You'll know it when you see it. And one more thing: the other side of the portal is in Seto's library, which is directly under the old Sky Army base. There aren't any squids in the actual library, but once you get out, there are a lot of them. Good luck and be careful."

Mitch nodded. "See you around, Ian."

The three embraced.

When they broke apart, Seto and Mitch entered Ian's office. They quickly located the portal room and flicked the lever to get in. The portal was already activated, and it glowed with a faint purple light. Without a word, they stepped through.

* * *

Seto landed neatly on the plush ruby carpet of his former home, and was immediately hit by a pang of nostalgia. He had forgotten how much he loved this place.

He walked over to one of the bookshelves and ran a finger down the spine of one of the books. It glowed with a faint purple light and floated off of the bookshelf to hover in midair. He did the same with five other books, and they orbited his head in a slow circle.

"Seto, what are you doing?"

Seto turned. Mitch was watching him with a bemused expression written on his face. He had forgotten about his presence.

"Nothing," Seto muttered. He tapped each of the books, and they drifted back to their original spots.

"Are we going or not?" Mitch snapped, brushing past Seto as he strode down an aisle of bookshelves.

"Wait!" Seto called. "It's a maze."

"Why is it a maze?" Mitch asked.

"To keep people like you out," Seto said tonelessly. Mitch winced at the insult. "Okay, that was mean. But it _is _designed to keep people out so I won't be interrupted when I'm working. Follow me."

They made their way through the narrow paths between the bookshelves that made up the maze, Seto leading the way, Mitch following hesitantly. Eventually, they reached a wooden staircase spiraling upward.

"See? Here's the way out," Seto said. "But you should have your sword out. There are wards down here to keep the squids out, but once we get upstairs, there aren't any, so they're free to move about on the surface."

They drew their swords and proceeded up the spiral staircase. It creaked ominously with each step, but they reached the top step without incident. A closed wooden door waited at the top.

"Well, here goes," Seto muttered, pushing the door open.

He turned his head away from the sunlight that streamed in through the open door.

"Was the house always this bright?" Seto asked.

"It might help that parts of the wall are missing," Mitch said.

Seto looked, his eyes having adjusted to the light, and gasped. A large piece of the opposite wall of his old house was completely gone. Beyond it, he could see what was left of Adam's server.

Blue water covered the entire server hub. The clay and quartz blocks that had once made up the paths between minigames were crumbling. Many of the minigame hubs and other structures had caved in, leaving shapeless masses of blocks. The only thing left intact was a single stone brick staircase that led out of the area into the mountains beyond. The whole area was swarming with squids and squid hybrids.

"We're going to have to be careful going out," Mitch muttered. "We don't want to get caught. We have to get to the stairs going out of here and through the mountains. We should keep to the perimeter and move slowly."

"Who made you the boss?" Seto muttered. "We should stay out of sight while traveling to the stairs. There are lots of places to hide, what with all the wreckage. The chance of us getting caught would decrease dramatically."

"It would be faster to go my way," Mitch argued. "We would be out of here and gone in no time at all."

"We would be safer if we hid while going to the stairs," Seto retorted. "True, it's slower, but we wouldn't get captured."

"If _you _hadn't wasted time arguing, we could have been heading through the mountains by now!" Mitch snapped, his voice rising.

"Keep it down!" Seto hissed. "Do you want to get us discovered?"

Mitch didn't reply. He was looking toward the outside, his eyes wide and his face pale. He had drawn his sword, but his hands shook violently. Seto looked, and saw the reason—several of the squid hybrids had spotted them. They were advancing on them, gleaming dark blue swords drawn.

"Let's go!" Mitch shouted, charging into the crowd. Seto followed, drawing his sword. One thought ran through his mind: _gettothestairsgettothestairsgettothestairs_

Adrenaline kicked in. Seto hacked and slashed and kept the squids at bay. Time seemed to disappear. All that was left was himself, the squids, and the stairs.

Even though Seto had been fighting for what felt like ages, he was barely making any ground. And the fighting was wearing him out. His muscles burned from exertion. It didn't help that all the water was making him dizzy from magic loss.

All that was drowned out by a stabbing pain in his thigh. He stumbled and fell in the water, barely keeping his head above the surface. He looked down. The squid hybrid that had stabbed him yanked its sword out of Seto's leg. Blood gushed from the wound and colored the water crimson. He tried to get up, but was hit by a wave of fatigue. His leg gave out, and he dropped back into the water.

Seto lifted his eyes upward. The hybrid raised its sword again, this time aiming for his chest.

This was it. He was going to die, and there was nothing he could do about it. He closed his eyes and waited for the final blow.

It never came. Seto cautiously opened one eye. The hybrid was floating in the water next to him, bleeding from a wound in its stomach. Mitch stood over it, wiping blue blood from his sword.

"What the hell are you waiting for, a red carpet?" Mitch shouted. "Get up!"

Seto stood shakily, stumbling slightly. He lifted his sword again.

"Don't exert yourself," Mitch said. "You're hurt. I'll take it from here."

Mitch fought his way through the throng with ease, a slightly bewildered Seto limping along behind. They reached the stone brick stairs that wound up into the sky and began scrambling up.

Seto looked over his shoulder. The squids had clustered at the bottom of the stairs, but none had dared follow them.

"Keep going!" Mitch called. "Don't look back! There'll be time to stop once we get out of here!"

Ebbing adrenaline fueled Seto in their harried trek through the mountains. Only when they were a long distance from the server did they stop to rest.

Mitch sat down on the side of the path, panting heavily. Seto propped his injured leg up on a rock. He tore a piece of fabric from his cloak to bandage the wound, which had stopped bleeding.

"That's going to get infected," Mitch commented.

"No, really?" Seto retorted, trying to keep the quaver out of his voice.

"Once we get to Spawn City, hopefully they'll be able to help with that," Mitch said.

They sat in silence for a moment until Seto spoke up:

"Thanks for saving my life."

Mitch laughed drily. "I figured I owed you one for saving me."

"But still, thanks."

Mitch stood, Seto doing the same. He yelped as pain shot down his injured leg.

"We'd best be going," Mitch said. "It gets cold up here at night. Once we get out of the mountains and on the main highway to Spawn City, we should be fine. Unless they've flooded it, which they probably haven't."

"Can we go slowly?" Seto asked. "My leg is killing me."

"Sure, but we have to move reasonably quickly if we want to make it out of the mountains by nightfall," Mitch said, already starting down the stone brick path. "You coming?"

Seto nodded, limping as fast as he could after Mitch.

* * *

**Constructive criticism is highly appreciated for this chapter in particular, because it's one of my first times writing a fight scene. Please leave a review; it shows that you care!**


	6. VI

**Welcome to chapter 6 of Ripples. This is a week early to get my updating schedule back in order. The usual schedule will resume after this week. This is kind of short because 1) it's more of a "setting things up and forwarding plot" chapter and 2) I was also working on another project. Expect to see that next Friday.**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed, favorited, or followed-it is greatly appreciated!**

**I don't own any of the YouTubers in this chapter, nor do I own _Minecraft_.**

* * *

Spawn City was a massive, bustling metropolis. It lay in a basin that was surrounded by hills and forests.

It was the center of Minecraftia's government, and anybody who was anybody lived there. The squids had attacked and seized it shortly after dispatching the Sky Army, thus rendering them in control of Minecraftia.

The squid invasion had flooded most of Spawn City. The surrounding hills, however, had been left untouched. It was on these hills that Seto and Mitch were hiding while they looked for a way in.

"I can't believe you dragged us all the way up here," Seto grumbled. He was sitting cross-legged on the grass. The gash in his leg had gotten infected, and the angry red wound pulsated with pain.

"We can't just waltz into Spawn City!" Mitch said impatiently from where he sat next to Seto. "You saw what it's like down there. We wouldn't last five minutes before getting captured or..."

"What then?" Seto asked. "We can't stay up here forever, you know. Should we look around for someplace to camp out and figure out a way in?"

"I saw a cave back in the trees," Mitch said, pointing in the direction of said trees. "We could go down there for a while."

Seto stood and was immediately overwhelmed by a feeling of dizziness. Mitch seemed unaffected, so he assumed it was the water's effect on his magic. They retreated into the trees.

"Here it is," Mitch said. Dappled sunlight revealed that the cave entrance gradually sloped down into blackness.

They slowly made their way into the depths of the cave, which continued meandering downward. The sunlight disappeared quickly, and they were left in pitch blackness.

"Seto, can you give us some light?" Mitch asked.

"I'll try." Seto concentrated, and a small violet flame ignited in his palm. It cast a purple light that illuminated everything within a four-block radius. "It's a bit dim, but it'll have to do."

They continued downward. Mild fatigue paired with the throbbing in Seto's leg slowed him down considerably. Mitch made sure to keep pace with him.

Mitch stopped suddenly. Seto turned and saw that he had frozen in his tracks, eyes wide and a hand on the hilt of his sword.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"I...I could have sworn I heard something," Mitch said. "Listen!"

Seto listened. He heard a flurry of movement somewhere behind them. He whirled around and drew his sword.

"You heard it?" Mitch asked. Seto nodded.

"Someone or something is down here nearby. What's the plan?"

Mitch opened his mouth to respond, but was cut off by the clicking of claws on stone.

"There it is again!" he exclaimed, voice rising in pitch.

"We know you're there!" Seto called, trying to sound braver than he felt.

The mystery person placed down a torch, revealing his very furry, very familiar face.

The person wasn't a person at all.

He was a bacca.

Mitch's eyes lit up. Then, for the first time since the invasion, he smiled—really smiled.

"Jerome! You're okay!" he exclaimed joyfully.

"I thought I'd never see you again!" Jerome said.

"Me neither, biggums," Mitch replied. "We thought you didn't make it."

"We? Who's—" Jerome began, but stopped himself when he saw Seto lingering by the cave wall. "Oh. Hey, Seto. Didn't see you there."

"It's fine," Seto said. "I'll just leave you guys to your reunion."

"I wish there was time to catch up, but we have to get to the surface," Mitch said apologetically. "We're going to Spawn City."

"Spawn City?" Jerome repeated. "The whole place is swarming with squids! Trust me, I know. Not only that, both of you have quite the impressive bounties on your heads. Why would you want to go up there?"

"We heard about a group that was trying to find Adam and overthrow the squids," Mitch explained "We're trying to find them."

"I haven't heard of any kind of group like that," Jerome said quizzically. "But if you find them, I'll go with you. I know a way up into the city, and I can take you there. Follow me."

He started walking deeper into the cave at a brisk pace.

"Wait! Seto hurt his leg. Can you slow down a little?"

"I can keep up," Seto protested. "It's fine. I don't want to slow you down."

"No, no, it's okay," Jerome said. "It's not like we're in a hurry or anything."

The trio made their way downward, Jerome placing a torch every once in a while. Jerome and Mitch walked side by side, talking and laughing, while Seto trailed them.

He knew that they were best friends, and had been since childhood. And he hadn't been really close to either of them since the previous August. But seeing Mitch look so relaxed, so _happy _with Jerome made him feel a strange sense of loneliness.

They soon arrived at a dead end.

"Hold on," Jerome said. He walked forward and stepped on a pair of stone pressure plates that Seto hadn't noticed. A set of piston doors hissed open, revealing a well-lit area. The usual stone floor of the cave had been replaced by polished granite. There were six different doors, all of which were closed.

"Back here's my place," he said. "Before, there were all these mobs getting in, so I built the wall. Every now and again, something finds the doors by accident, but it's not as big a problem as it was before."

"When did you have time to build all this? And why down here? I thought baccas lived in trees," Mitch asked.

"We do! It's just that I don't want to be found, and the forests would be the first place someone would look for me," Jerome explains. "I like being alive, which is why _I don't go up into Spawn City_."

"Can you just take us up to the surface?" Seto asked impatiently.

"Yes, yes, of course," Jerome said. He opened the sixth door. Behind it was a tunnel that stretched farther than Seto could see.

They walked through the tunnel. Jerome led the way, Mitch walked right behind him, and Seto brought up the rear. After what felt like several hours of walking, they made a left and came across the remains of a stone brick wall.

"Back here's the old Spawn City sewer," Jerome said. "It's no longer in use, but we can still get up to the surface through it."

He crawled through the wreckage, Mitch and Seto cautiously following. They emerged in a dimly-lit tunnel that extended into blackness in both directions. Jerome directed them to a ladder.

"The city is just up here," he said. Mitch and Seto climbed the ladder, eventually meeting a trapdoor.

"Whenever you're ready," Mitch said.

Seto took a deep breath, and opened the trapdoor.

* * *

**Please remember to leave a review; it shows that you care!**


	7. VII

**Welcome to chapter 7 of Ripples, which I'm actually pretty proud of. Before I say anything else, I have some news about updates. Basically, I will no longer be using an updating schedule, and chapters will be released whenever they are ready. For more information, please visit my profile.**

**Huge thanks to Candyphone for reviewing the last chapter and to WinterSpark for favoriting and following. Your support is greatly appreciated!**

**This chapter is dedicated to CrystalFeather0900, assuming she is still part of my viewership, because (spoilers) one of the characters that she wanted to see in the story will be appearing in this chapter.**

**I don't own any of the YouTubers in this chapter, nor do I own _Minecraft_.**

* * *

Seto took a deep breath and opened the trapdoor, bracing himself for the impact of the water above.

It never came. Though he could see the water, it remained completely stationary.

Mitch voiced his thoughts:

"Shouldn't the water being flowing down on top of us?"

Seto shrugged. And then the realization hit him.

"Water magic," he said, internally cursing his own stupidity. "It was so obvious! How did I not realize? They have a magic user. And a really powerful one at that, if he flooded Minecraftia."

"But you said—" Mitch began.

"I _know_ what I said!" Seto interrupted, louder than he meant to. "I see now that I was wrong."

"Either way, let's go," Mitch said.

Seto climbed up into the water. He broke the surface a moment later, gasping for air and wanting nothing more than to lie down and sleep.

He sat down in the water. It never crossed his mind that it might hurt his magic. He just wanted to rest.

"Seto, get up," Mitch said harshly.

"Five minutes," Seto protested, getting groggier by the second. "I'm so tired..."

"Seto, what about your magic? I'm not an expert, but something tells me that sitting in the water isn't good for you," Mitch said.

Right. His magic.

He stood, once again feeling dizzy. He was suddenly freezing, and he shuddered from the cold.

"Are you okay?" Mitch asked, laying a hand on his shoulder. He pulled it away quickly. "You're burning up! You're obviously sick. Maybe you should stay with Jerome."

"No, I'm fine!" Seto felt a rush of annoyance. Who was Mitch to tell him what he could and couldn't do?

"If you really want to go..." Mitch muttered.

Seto looked around at their surroundings. They had emerged on a deserted street, with broken windows and boarded-up storefronts.

"Follow me," Seto said. "We have to go to the center of the city. There might be something there."

"But all that's in the center is the park, the government buildings, and the library," Mitch said. "No rebel in their right mind would be in Spawn City."

"It's still worth a shot," Seto countered. "Would you prefer we spent hours and hours combing all of Spawn City looking for them?"

Mitch sighed. "You're right."

They splashed through the drowned streets, which were devoid of people. When they arrived, the reason for this unusual absence became clear.

What appeared to be a sizable amount of the population was crammed into the park and the surrounding street. People craned their necks and stood on tiptoe to see something that Seto couldn't.

At five feet and seven inches, he had trouble seeing over the crowd. But Mitch was easily over six feet tall. For him, the people weren't a problem.

"What's happening?" Seto asked. "Can you see?"

"Yes," Mitch replied. "There's a lot of people. A lot of hybrids, too."

"But what's the big spectacle?"

"Hold on, I'm trying to see," Mitch said. "We're pretty far away. The main event is in the park."

"Citizens of Minecraftia!" a deep male voice boomed somewhere behind them. Seto jumped and whirled around, stifling a yelp. But there was no one there. A hush fell over the crowd.

"We are gathered here today to witness the execution of a traitor, a deserter, someone who betrayed Lord Julius Lucius, and by extension, each and every one of you. Bring out the prisoner."

"What's happening now?" Seto asked.

"They have a girl," Mitch said. "Small. Neon green hair. She's wearing all black. She's really thin, but not like a model—more like someone who hasn't eaten in weeks. Not anyone we know."

"The traitor, DefiantGravity337, is guilty of treason, production and distribution of inflammatory materials, and following interrogation, was found to be associated with a dangerous group of malcontents."

Mitch turned to Seto, amber eyes wide. Seto read his face: _maybe that group is who we're looking for!_

"After being tried," the voice continued with a hint of smugness, "DefiantGravity337 was sentenced to execution by hanging. If you have any last words, speak now."

A second voice, high-pitched and female, said:

"What kind of world is it that we live in that a teenager can be executed for making fanart and posting it online? What kind of world is it that when you watch videos on YouTube, it is considered treason? It's hell, pure and simple! When will you all stop waiting for someone else to do the work and put an end to this madness? When will you stand up for yourselves? When will—"

The voice, which sounded close to panic, said quickly, "End it!"

The girl, still shouting, was abruptly cut off. The spectators cheered halfheartedly.

Seto's blood ran cold. He looked at Mitch and saw that he had turned white and was staring, transfixed with horror, at what Seto guessed was the gallows where DefiantGravity337's words and life had been cut short. He leaned on Seto, trying with little success to stifle sobs.

The stoic Mitch that Seto had known since he first arrived at his door disappeared, replaced by a broken, traumatized shell of a warrior. It was an unsettling effect.

In the next moment, Seto was face down in the water, arms pinned behind his back. He choked on the cool liquid. Black spots appeared in his vision and his head began spinning. He could hear voices above him, distorted by the water, but they sounded like they were distant rather than a few feet above him.

"Is this for real? Have we captured two YouTubers?" a voice asked.

"Not just any YouTubers. I think we just captured Setosorcerer and BajanCanadian!" a second voice crowed triumphantly.

"Are you serious?" A pause. "I think you're right! How much do you think we'll get for them?"

"Nothing, if you two idiots don't let them up," a third voice snapped. "Lord Julius didn't ask for corpses!"

Seto was roughly pulled out of the water so that he was kneeling on the ground. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Mitch in the same position. He tried reaching for his sword, but found that his hands had been cuffed. Three squid hybrids stood over them.

"Get up," one commanded. "We have to get you back. You two," he said to his companions, "go round up some others who are willing to help us escort these two."

"Wait!" a slightly accented female voice, warped and yet familiar, called.

Its owner pushed through the crowd. She was a squid hybrid, taller than Seto, and she wore the uniform of the squid army. Insect-like wings in various shades of blue protruded from her back.

"I can take the prisoners," she said.

"Are you sure?" one of the hybrids asked. "You do know that they are supposed to be extremely dangerous. Can you handle them on your own?"

She laughed. "Don't worry about it. I'll be fine!"

"If you say so," one of their captors said irritably.

She stalked over and hauled Seto and Mitch to their feet with a "Come along, you two". Seto winced as her claws dug into his skin.

Once they were out of the vicinity of the crowd, she dragged them quickly down a dim side street, nervously looking over her shoulder.

"What are you—" Seto began.

"Shh!" she hissed urgently. "Do you want to get us caught?"

"What are you doing?" Mitch asked.

"I'm saving you," she replied as she fiddled with the cuffs on his wrists, trying to remove them.

"Why?" Seto asked quizzically.

Mitch's cuffs fell with a splash. The hybrid removed her helmet, exposing her face.

It resembled that of some sort of insect or dragon, with vibrant magenta eyes. Her scales (or maybe an exoskeleton—Seto had never gotten the chance to ask) were indigo and navy blue rather than the ebony and magenta hues that Seto remembered. A pair of fragile-looking antennae perched on her head, while horns were in the place where her ears would have been.

"Remember me?" Deceptibonk asked.

"Bonks," a bewildered Seto stated. "You're okay. I...I thought you were dead!"

"I'm not dead," she said, removing Seto's handcuffs, "but I'm not exactly okay."

Seto dropped his gaze, suddenly overwhelmed by guilt. If he had been smart enough, if he had thought quickly enough, he could have saved Bonks and everyone else who had been corrupted. But he hadn't, and now they were doomed to servitude for the enemy.

"I'm sorry," Seto said feebly, wrapping his arms around her. "I'm so sorry."

"Don't be," Bonks reassured him, returning his embrace. "You know there's no cure for the Corruption. You know you tried."

"I failed," Seto said shakily. "Up until then, I never lost a patient. Now families and friendships are completely shattered, and it's all my fault."

He leaned into Bonks' shoulder and started to cry.

"No, it's not, Seto. Don't talk like that! You didn't Corrupt them. The squids did. Stop blaming yourself for something that wasn't your fault!" Bonks said, holding him close.

"I...I know..." Seto said through sobs. He took a step back and wiped the tears from his face.

"Why did you come here?" Bonks asked. "Why didn't you just stay where you were safe?"

"It's a long story," Seto said. He proceeded to recount everything that had happened between his reunion with Mitch and that moment. Bonks listened patiently, not interrupting once.

When he was finished, she said tentatively, "I might know where the rebels are."

"You do?" Seto asked excitedly.

"Not exactly," she admitted. "I don't know their exact location. But Gravity—the girl who was executed?—was captured on the outskirts of the city, on the west side. I would start there."

"Really?" Seto asked. "Do the squids know?"

Her eyes glinted with mischief, and for a moment, Seto caught a glimpse of the old Bonks, rather than this pale imitation.

"Don't tell anyone, but I never told them," she whispered. "They never asked."

"I won't," Seto said.

"I should go," Bonks said. "I'll be missed. And Julius—"

"Who?" Seto interjected.

"Julius Lucius. He's the ruler of the squids. Not nice. You wouldn't want to cross him," she explained. "But anyway, Julius won't be happy if I come back without you two. I'll tell him you overpowered me and got away. But still, this won't be pretty."

"If it's that bad, why would you let us go?" Seto asked, feeling guilty again.

"Aren't you supposed to help the people you care about?" Bonks asked. "Besides, even if this doesn't end well, I'll know that I was able to save you."

She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. And then she was gone.

"What just happened?" Mitch asked.

Seto had forgotten about Mitch. He flushed red and averted his eyes.

"Bonks freed us. She also said that we should look on the west side of the city," Seto said. He didn't mention what Bonks had said to him. Mitch had probably heard, and even if he hadn't, that wasn't something Seto would share.

"First, let's go back underground. Jerome is probably worried about us," Mitch said.

* * *

"What exactly happened up there? You two look like you've seen a ghost," Jerome exclaimed when Seto and Mitch returned.

"Worse," Seto breathed. "We went to the center city, witnessed the execution of one of our fans, almost got captured, got freed by Bonks, and to make a long story short, we have to go to the west side."

"I can take you there, but it sounds like it's pretty dangerous up on the surface!" Jerome said. "Why would you tempt fate? It's safer down here."

"You can't hide forever!" Mitch retaliated. "It's like Bonks said: aren't you supposed to help the people you care about? Even if we don't know the DefiantGravitys and all our other fans, we still care about them. We have to stop waiting for a hero to come along and help ourselves!"

Jerome was speechless. Finally, he said, "follow me," and they disappeared into the darkness.

* * *

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